Man gets life for child rapes
2005-08-12 17:33
Pretoria - A man who raped two cousins, aged 10 and 12, will spend the rest of his life in jail, Pretoria High Court ordered on Friday.
Acting Judge N K Ranchod sentenced 47-year-old Andries Sibuyi to life imprisonment fopr raping the 12-year-old three times and the 10-year-old once. He also sodomised the 12-year-old.
The rapes took place four years ago in Mamelodi, outside Pretoria.
Sibuyi was earlier convicted in Pretoria regional court on four counts of rape and on one charge of indecent assault. The matter was referred to the High Court for sentencing.
The court heard that the children were severely traumatised by the rapes. Both were virgins.
The 12-year-old insisted on taking the stand to testify about the impact of the crime on her.
"God is on my side."
She said she was no longer afraid to look her rapist in the eye, although she still felt humiliated by him.
The girl, who is now 16, recited a poem to the judge, which she entitled The Cry of Pain.
In the poem she described the anger and humiliation she endured at the hands of her rapist. However, she ended it by saying: "But I will not fear anything while I have God on my side."
- SAPA